Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actor: Anthony Welsh, Bart Edwards, Jessica Brown Findlay, Jonah Hauer-King, Shaniqua Okwok
In life and cinema, drama is everywhere. You’ll find it in thrillers, animations, romances, you name it. For entertainment that explores the human experience with sensitivity and sincerity, here’s a mixed bag of the best dramas to stream now.
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actor: Anthony Welsh, Bart Edwards, Jessica Brown Findlay, Jonah Hauer-King, Shaniqua Okwok
This British miniseries is about a group of teenagers who tell a five-year-old who is following them to go home. The boy disappears mysteriously but 20 years later, when the teenagers are all adults, his DNA surfaces in a crime scene.
Somewhat formulaic or perhaps just overproduced, the show is ultimately enjoyable as the sharpness of the source material by famous author Harlan Coben quickly takes over.
Genre: Drama, Mystery
Actor: Don Warrington, Geraldine James, Hannah Arterton, Jonathan Kerrigan, Lee Ingleby, Michael Maloney, O.T. Fagbenle, Rade Serbedzija, Sarah Solemani, Sophia La Porta, Tom Cullen
Director: Mark Tonderai
Genre: Drama, History
Actor: Chen Kaige, Ding Haifeng, Gong Li, Li Hongtao, Li Qiang, Li Xuejian, Lü Xiaohe, Pan Changjiang, Sun Zhou, Wang Qian-Yuan, Zhang Fengyi, Zhao Benshan, Zhiwen Wang, Zhou Xun
Director: Chen Kaige
The Dig is a reliable telling of an archaeological expedition. The setting is Britain in World War II, and a widow (played by Carey Mulligan) hires an archaeologist (played by Ralph Fiennes) to dig through her estate where a historic discovery is waiting to be found. The biggest thrills are a conflict regarding control of the land and its treasures, and an affair that blossoms within the archaeological team.
The film’s cadence is akin to that of a weary traveler sharing a fascinating tale, with each frame lit softly and beautifully. No twist or surprise appears as you turn the corner — you’re merely beckoned to uncover the past amidst a tumultuous, wartime present. Director Simon Stone has capable hands and Mulligan and Fiennes as the leads — supported by a cast that includes the charming Lily James — tick all the British, repressed, stiff upper lip boxes. All, in varying juicy degrees, exhibit an emotional undercurrent befitting the film’s subtle dramatic tension. Those seeking more insight into those undercurrents will come away sorely disappointed, however, as the well-tempered nature of the film keeps it mild and tasteful.
Though it’s not as compelling as it could have been, The Dig is, by all accounts, a lovely film.
Genre: Drama, History
Actor: Archie Barnes, Arsher Ali, Ben Chaplin, Bronwyn James, Carey Mulligan, Christopher Godwin, Danny Webb, Eamon Farren, Ellie Piercy, Jack Bennett, James Dryden, Joe Hurst, John Macmillan, Johnny Flynn, Jonah Rzeskiewicz, Ken Stott, Lily James, Monica Dolan, Paul Ready, Peter McDonald, Ralph Fiennes, Robert Wilfort
Director: Simon Stone
By all appearances, Eliza and Louis have a charming marriage. They’re casual and good-humored in the morning and full of passion in the evening. So when Eliza finds a love note addressed to her husband one day, naturally, she freaks out. She enlists the help of her eccentric family and sets off to Manhattan, where they all try to get to the bottom of the affair; what follows is an endearingly awkward adventure around town.
Though the film often meanders both in plot and dialogue, the expert ensemble keeps things compelling with their convincing chemistry and wry, visual humor. Coupled with lush images of ‘90s New York and brilliantly droll writing, The Daytrippers is a joyride of a film, as unassuming as it is enthralling.
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Family, Mystery
Actor: Adam Davidson, Amy Stiller, Anne Meara, Campbell Scott, Carol Locatell, Douglas McGrath, Hope Davis, Liev Schreiber, Marc Grapey, Marcia Gay Harden, Marcia Haufrecht, Parker Posey, Pat McNamara, Paul Herman, Peter Askin, Stanley Tucci, Stephanie Venditto
Director: Greg Mottola
Part Mr. and Mrs. Smith and part Parasite, The Company You Keep follows conman Charlie (Milo Ventimiglia) and CIA agent Emma (Catherine Haena Kim) as they pursue a whirlwind romance while keeping their real identities from each other. Charlie pulls off heists with the help of his family, all of whom are part of his crime business, while making sure to target only the Big Bads (that is, wealthy criminals who have yet to be caught). It's not long before Charlie and Emma cross paths as their true selves, but till then, the show makes sure it has a lot of fun with close encounters, hijinks, and elaborate capers filled with delightful disguises.
If you’re looking for an easy watch that has everything—romance, crime, drama, comedy—then this should be on your to-watch list.
Genre: Crime, Drama
Actor: Catherine Haena Kim, Felisha Terrell, Freda Foh Shen, James Saito, Milo Ventimiglia, Polly Draper, Sarah Wayne Callies, Tim Chiou, William Fichtner
Genre: Drama
Actor: Liu Baisha, Liu Haoran, Qu Chuxiao, Ruguang Wei, Zhao Wenhao, Zhou Dongyu
Director: Anthony Chen
Shot almost entirely in one take and on a tiny budget, and yet the central performance in this movie is still better than most big-budget dramas I’ve seen this year.
Two indigenous women, one upper-class and the other impoverished, meet on the day that the rich one gets an IUD and the other one, pregnant, finds herself kicked out of her home. They spend a few hours together: they talk, they take cabs, walk, etc; and you as a viewer, follow them throughout their intimate yet difficult moments.
If you like subtle movies that showcase how people live and interact with one another, beyond plot-obsessiveness, this is for you.
Genre: Drama
Actor: Aidan Dee, Anesha Bailey, Anthony Bolognese, Barbara Eve Harris, Charles Jarman, Charlie Hannah, Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, Elle-Maija Tailfeathers, James Angus Cowan, Jay Cardinal Villeneuve, Kathleen Hepburn, Lissa Neptuno, Paul Jarrett, Sonny Surowiec, Tony Massil, Violet Nelson
Director: Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, Elle-Maija Tailfeathers, Kathleen Hepburn
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel invites us to an earnest meditation on old age and change. The film centers on a group of British retirees traveling to the titular hotel in India, in hopes of a good retirement. The group cast is an excellent choice: prominent names from British movies and television line the cast, and it’s a pleasure to see them act alongside each other with equal screen time and their own detailed plotlines. Their plotlines inspire empathy towards different struggles that the elderly face: finding love again, dealing with accumulated debt, and handling loss. All of these are tough, but especially when you feel your time has run out. The best of these plotlines are the ones that acknowledge loss but still persist through accepting changing circumstances and actively going for one's desires.
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actor: Bill Nighy, Celia Imrie, Dev Patel, Diana Hardcastle, Glen Davies, Honey Chhaya, Jay Villiers, Judi Dench, Lillete Dubey, Liza Tarbuck, Louise Brealey, Lucy Robinson, Maggie Smith, Nina Kulkarni, Patrick Pearson, Paul Bentall, Paul Bhattacharjee, Penelope Wilton, Rajendra Gupta, Ramona Marquez, Richard Cubison, Ronald Pickup, Sara Stewart, Siddharth Makkar, Simon Wilson, Tina Desai, Tom Wilkinson, Vishnu Sharma
Director: John Madden
Watch this if you like weird movies. And don't be fooled by the first half, which serves just to set Jesse Eisenberg's character and the monotone life he leads. It's the calm before the storm, during which that character is attacked by a violent gang and decides to take self-defense classes in an unusual club. This is a movie about modern manhood and how it can lead to some pretty strange situations. Great performance from Eisenberg as usual.
Genre: Action, Comedy, Drama, Thriller
Actor: Alessandro Nivola, Apollo Bacala, Caroline Amiguet, Dallas Edwards, Davey Johnson, David Zellner, Frederic Spitz, Hauke Bahr, Imogen Poots, Jason Burkey, Jesse Eisenberg, Josh Fadem, Katherine Smith-Rodden, Leland Orser, Lena Friedrich, Louis Robert Thompson, Mike Brooks, Phillip Andre Botello, Steve Terada
Director: Riley Stearns
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actor: Aviis Zhong, Ken Lin, Shu-yao Kuo, Sun Ke-Fang
Director: Pei-Ju Hsieh
What starts out a cliche outdoor party scene with admittedly introspective narration, takes a hard left turn into its trippy premise. As soon as the story’s complexity and depth make its presence felt with its many intertwining characters and narratives, the experience can range from interesting, to lethargic, to confusing. Characters don't feel all that different, and all the "resets" can make the series feel un-homely for long stretches, like it's constantly drifting away from answers. At its best, it’s caring, ambitious, and it knows the last possible second to dangle a carrot in front of you. But it’s also a lot of bland carrots to keep track of.
Genre: Drama, Mystery
Actor: Anne Azoulay, Khalil Ben Gharbia, Maïra Schmitt, Marguerite Thiam, Mélanie Doutey, Raïka Hazanavicius, Samuel Benchetrit, Théo Fernandez
Director: Émilie Noblet, Julien Despaux
The lives of a single mother forced into prostitution and another woman who needs an operation to restore her virginity clash with the structure of Iran’s traditionally patriarchal society in Tehran Taboo. The result is a story that sheds light on the double standards women face, especially surrounding sex and sexuality, and overall what it is like to be female in a society practically founded on institutional misogyny.
To make up for not being able to shoot in Tehran, director Ali Soozandeh chose to use the method of rotoscope animation: an unconventional style of animation that involves first shooting live actors in a studio and then inserting extra sounds and backgrounds in the editing process. Tehran Taboo is fearless in its exploration of the social and sexual restrictions imposed in modern Iran.
Genre: Animation, Drama
Actor: Adem Karaduman, Aida Loos, Alireza Bayram, Arash Marandi, Elmira Rafizadeh, Gernot Polak, Hasan Ali Mete, Klaus Ofczarek, Morteza Tavakoli, Şiir Eloğlu, Thomas Nash, Zahra Amir Ebrahimi, Zar Amir Ebrahimi
Director: Ali Soozandeh
Genre: Drama
Actor: Adriano Giannini, Alessandro Borghi, Enrico Borello, Gaia Messerklinger, Jade Pedri, Jasmine Trinca, Linda Caridi, Saul Nanni, Vincenzo Nemolato
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actor: Amarr M. Wooten, Andrea Powell, Andrew Dicostanzo, Ariel Martin, Cree Kawa, Daniella Taylor, Ella Anderson, Elliott Sancrant, Jason Burkey, Karen Ceesay, Keyla Monterroso Mejia, Laura Linney, Matt Walsh, Nico Parker, Orelon Sidney, Pam Dougherty, Parker Sack, Scott MacArthur, Woody Harrelson
Director: Laura Chinn